SOUTHGATE, Mich. (WXYZ) — After two Southgate police officers were shot while responding to a call at the Village on the Park Apartments Thursday, one of them is now speaking out about what led up to the shocking violence and how he's recovering.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report:
Officer Jason Jones is a father of two and has been with the Southgate Police Department for nearly a decade.
He says it was a typical day for him, Thursday, even slow at times. That’s when, around 4 p.m., he got a call about an individual waving around a weapon inside the Village on the Park Apartments. Jones says they arrived to find two men in a laundry room arguing.
Watch an extended interview from Officer Jason Jones in the video player below:
“We didn’t see any weapons in their hands, so we kind of were like 'hey, come talk to us,' and within seconds, we were taking gunfire," he said. "I just remember going to the ground and pushing my way back up and running.”
The 20-year-old suspect allegedly began shooting aimlessly. Jones was shot once in the leg. Another female officer helped control his bleeding and applied a tourniquet. Meanwhile, Officer Matthew Dube went after one of the suspects.
"Officer Dube had gone the other way, and he was able to take a gentleman into custody pretty quickly, and he realized he was shot too, so hats off to him," Jones said.
Watch our previous report about the shooting below:
Dube and Jones were transported to a hospital in Dearborn, and the manhunt was on. Jones' family, meanwhile, was worried sick.
“I would never wish that feeling upon anybody. It’s truly the scariest call you can probably ever get, and you never expect it, and you never know when your last moments are with somebody," the officer's son, 19-year-old Jordan Jones, said.
Hear more from Jordan Jones in the video player below:
Thankfully, Jones didn’t damage any major nerves and was released from the hospital that same night. About four hours after the officers were shot, they received a call notifying them the manhunt was over.
“Director Marsh called me directly and said, 'We got him,'" Jones said.
Southgate Police Department Chief Mark Mydlarz says it was the dedicated response from local, state, and federal agencies that helped them apprehend the suspect.
"The outpouring of support that we have from other law enforcement agencies was just incredible. It was tremendous and I get emotional when I talk about it because there's so many people that came," Mydlarz said.
The suspect was allegedly found hiding under a bed in a building just behind the complex where the shots rang out. His weapon was recovered in a nearby wooded area.
Residents went to bed Thursday with some piece of mind.
“I'm just glad it’s over," Village on the Park Apartments resident Adora Napper said.
Both officers are now recovering at home, hugging their loved ones just a bit tighter.
“I'm happy to be here, and I'm excited to recover and get back to work," Jones said.
The Southgate Police Department is still working to gather all the evidence to send to the prosecutor’s office. They say we can expect to see charges for the suspect by this weekend.
